Liberal Leader Mark Carney has unveiled his plan to revamp Canada’s public broadcaster, saying he will increase its budget by $150 million and update its mandate, which would include combating disinformation.
Carney said CBC/Radio-Canada should be strengthened to help protect Canadian identity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s “attacks on Canada.”
Speaking during a campaign stop in Montreal on April 4, Carney said CBC plays a “vital” role in bringing information to remote and rural areas, and reporting on natural disasters affecting communities.
“We also count on public broadcasting to discover up-and-coming Canadian musicians, creators, storytellers whose work might otherwise get buried by the avalanche of American content on social media,” he said.
Carney announced a new Liberal government would provide an initial $150 million budget increase for CBC/Radio-Canada while also making that funding statutory. This means Parliament would need to approve changes to the public broadcaster’s funding instead of just the cabinet.
Carney said this would shield CBC’s funding from “ideologues.”
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has not been outspoken on the campaign trail about the CBC, but in recent years has regularly expressed his intention to defund it if he becomes prime minister. He has long accused the public broadcaster of having an anti-Conservative bias, calling CBC the “biased propaganda arm of the Liberal Party.”
CBC’s former president Catherine Tait had reached out to Poilievre during her mandate to discuss his calls to defund the public broadcaster, but later said Poilievre rejected the meeting.
Poilievre has also criticized CBC for undercutting the private sector and independent media, and competing for advertising dollars despite receiving federal funding.
Ottawa is providing $1.38 billion in funding to CBC/Radio-Canada during the fiscal year 2024-2025.
Poilievre’s platform for Quebec says Radio-Canada services would be preserved across the country.
During his April 4 press conference, Carney criticized Poilievre’s proposal to fund Radio-Canada but not CBC, saying Poilievre is “not Solomon: you can’t split this baby.”
Renewed Mandate
On the issue of CBC’s mandate, Carney’s plan for the public broadcaster is to “improve accountability, empower leadership, streamline processes, and tap into the institution’s innovative spirit.” The Liberal leader did not expand on how he would accomplish these objectives.
Carney’s plan also involves “fully equipping” CBC/Radio-Canada to “combat disinformation, so that Canadians have a news source they know they can trust.”
“Our plan will safeguard a reliable Canadian public square in a sea of misinformation and disinformation so we can stay informed and tell our own stories in our own languages,” he said.
Carney also wants to establish more local bureaus to report news locally and to expand CBC’s mandate to provide news related to disasters. The Liberals also plan to equip CBC further to promote and support Canadian culture. More emphasis would also be put on developing the public broadcaster’s digital tools to respond to market demand.
The public broadcaster has faced some controversy in recent years for planning layoffs while at the same time giving out millions in bonuses.
CBC paid $18 million in bonuses to managers and executives in fiscal year 2023-2024, while also laying off 141 employees and eliminating 205 vacant positions during the same time frame.
Over $3.3 million was paid to 45 executives, for an average bonus of $73,000.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
